Delta APC Primary: Ned Nwoko Lost Because He Ignored Grassroots Politics — Aniagwu Fires Back

Fresh controversy has erupted over the Delta North APC senatorial primary after Delta State Commissioner for Works and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, claimed Senator Ned Nwoko lost the contest because he failed to build political relationships across the district.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Aniagwu argued that former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa defeated Nwoko overwhelmingly because he remained deeply connected to party structures and grassroots leaders across Delta North.

According to the commissioner, Okowa secured 113,309 votes in the APC primary while Nwoko polled just 2,612 votes, a margin he described as evidence of the former governor’s political dominance in the district.

Aniagwu insisted that party primaries differ significantly from general elections, noting that internal party contests are driven more by political relationships, consultations and loyalty within party structures.

“Ned Nwoko was nowhere in any of the wards, and we have 98 wards in the senatorial district made up of nine local government areas,” Aniagwu said.

“He never reached out to any of the leaders in these wards, let alone canvassing and informing anybody that he was coming to run in the election.”

The commissioner accused the senator of remaining disconnected from both political stakeholders and traditional institutions despite spending nearly three years in the Senate.

He claimed Nwoko rarely visited community leaders or engaged traditional rulers within the district, adding that many party members felt abandoned ahead of the primary election.

“Since he got to the Senate, we have about 65 traditional institutions in Delta North. Each Christmas, he does not even give them a three-month-old goat, and neither does he visit them,” Aniagwu alleged.

He further claimed that Nwoko failed to establish relationships with ward chairmen, local government leaders, commissioners and state lawmakers who form the backbone of party mobilisation during primaries.

Aniagwu said even within Nwoko’s Ward 8 in Aniocha North Local Government Area, the senator allegedly failed to organise meetings or carry local party members along before the election.

The commissioner also accused the senator of having strained relationships within his community, alleging that he had been involved in long-running disputes with traditional authorities and residents.

“In his community, he has always been in perpetual battle with the people,” Aniagwu said, while also alleging that several residents had been arrested due to disputes involving the senator.

Defending Okowa’s victory, Aniagwu said the former governor spent weeks consulting party leaders, appointees and stakeholders across all nine local government areas in Delta North before the primary election.

He claimed Okowa maintained direct political structures throughout the district, unlike Nwoko, whom he accused of focusing more on media appearances than grassroots mobilisation.

Aniagwu also dismissed claims that the crowd seen around Nwoko during the exercise reflected political support, alleging that many of the people present were students from the senator’s sports university transported to the venue in buses.

“The crowd you saw behind Ned Nwoko was not a queue,” he said.

“He was just standing in the midst of people and talking to the media. Nobody was counting anything.”

The APC primary in Delta North has continued to generate reactions following reports that several aspirants and supporters were dissatisfied with the conduct and outcome of the exercise ahead of the 2027 elections.